METHOD OF FABRICATING THIN FILM BATTERY WITH ANNEALED SUBSTRATE

• US 20070166612A1
• Filed: 03/02/2007
• Published: 07/19/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/07/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: KLA Corporation
• Original Assignee: Front Edge Technology, Inc (KLA Corporation)
• Inventors: Nieh, Kai-Wei, Krasnov, Victor, Ting, Su-Jen
• Granted Patent: US 7,510,582 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 429/162
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/0436 Small-sized flat cells or batteries for portable equipment
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/052 Li-accumulators
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/0562 Solid materials
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/058 Construction or manufacture
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/0585 of accumulators having only flat construction elements, i.e. flat positive electrodes, flat negative electrodes and flat separators
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/04 Processes of manufacture in general
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/0402 Methods of deposition of the material
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/0404 by coating on electrode collectors
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/0423 Physical vapour deposition
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/0426 Sputtering
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/0471 involving thermal treatment, e.g. firing, sintering, backing particulate active material, thermal decomposition, pyrolysis
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/131 Electrodes based on mixed oxides or hydroxides, or on mixtures of oxides or hydroxides, e.g. LiCoOx
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/1391 of electrodes based on mixed oxides or hydroxides, or on mixtures of oxides or hydroxides, e.g. LiCoOx
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/525 of mixed oxides or hydroxides containing iron, cobalt or nickel for inserting or intercalating light metals, e.g. LiNiO2, LiCoO2 or LiCoOxFy
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/5815 Sulfides
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/5825 Oxygenated metallic salts or polyanionic structures, e.g. borates, phosphates, silicates, olivines
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/661 Metal or alloys, e.g. alloy coatings H01M4/669 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/662 Alloys collectors of lead alloys H01M4/685
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/70 characterised by shape or form
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/75 Wires, rods or strips
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/46 : Separators, membranes or diaphragms characterised by their combination with electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 6/40 : Printed batteries , e.g. thin film batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 : Energy storage using batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 70/50 : Manufacturing or production processes characterised by the final manufactured product
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49108 : Electric battery cell making
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49115 : including coating or impregnating

Abstract

A thin film battery manufacturing method comprises annealing a battery substrate to a temperature at which organic materials are burned off the battery substrate to clean the battery substrate. The battery substrate comprises a thickness of less than about 100 microns. After annealing, a plurality of thin films are formed on the annealed battery substrate, the thin films comprising at least one electrolyte between a pair of electrodes, and the thin films adapted to generate or store an electrical charge. The thin films can also be annealed to remove defects in the thin films.

Claims

1. A thin film battery manufacturing method comprising:

(a) annealing a battery substrate to a temperature at which organic materials are burned off the battery substrate to clean the battery substrate, the battery substrate comprising a thickness of less than about 100 microns; and

(b) forming a plurality of thin films on the annealed battery substrate, the thin films comprising at least one electrolyte between a pair of electrodes, and the thin films adapted to generate or store an electrical charge.

2. A method according to claim 1 comprising annealing the battery substrate by heating the battery substrate in air to about 400°

C.

3. A method according to claim 1 comprising heating the battery substrate to a temperature from about 150 to about 600°

C.

4. A method according to claim 2 comprising annealing the battery substrate by heating the battery substrate for about 10 minutes.

5. A method according to claim 1 further comprising annealing the battery substrate by heating the battery substrate to a temperature that is sufficiently high to eliminate defects.

6. A method according to claim 1 wherein the battery substrate comprises mica.

7. A method according to claim 1 wherein the battery substrate comprises silicon dioxide, aluminum oxide, titanium, stainless steel, or polymer.

8. A method according to claim 1 wherein the battery substrate comprises a thickness of less than 25 microns.

9. A method according to claim 1 comprising forming the thin films on the battery substrate by physical or chemical vapor deposition, oxidation, nitridation or electro-plating.

10. A method according to claim 1 comprising annealing the battery substrate to a temperature that is sufficiently high to eliminate defects in the thin films formed on the battery substrate such that battery capacity increases by 10 to 20% and the charge and discharge current increases by more than 50%.

11. A method according to claim 1 wherein (b) comprises:

(a) placing the battery substrate in a chamber comprising a target composed of LiCoO₂;

(b) introducing a process gas into the chamber;

(c) energizing the process gas by applying a current at a power density level of from about 0.1 to about 20 W/cm² to the target, thereby sputtering material from the target to deposit onto the battery substrate; and

(d) exhausting the process gas from the chamber.

12. A method according to claim 11 wherein the chamber comprises a magnetron-sputtering cathode, and the method comprises energizing the process gas by applying a potential across the target and a magnetron-sputtering cathode to form a plasma of the process gas that has an ion flux of from about 0.1 to about 5 mA/cm².

13. A method according to claim 11 comprises maintaining the battery substrate at a potential of from about −

5V to about −

200 V.

14. A method according to claim 11 further comprising applying a non-uniform magnetic field about the target in the chamber, the non-uniform magnetic field comprising a weaker central magnetic field strength and a surrounding stronger peripheral magnetic field strength.

15. A thin film battery manufacturing method comprising:

(a) depositing a thin film on a battery substrate, the battery substrate comprising a thickness of less than 100 microns, and the thin film comprising an electrode; and

(b) annealing the thin film by heating the substrate to a temperature from about 150 to about 600°

C., and that is sufficiently high to eliminate defects from the thin film.

16. A method according to claim 15 wherein the battery substrate comprises mica.

17. A method according to claim 15 wherein the battery substrate comprises silicon dioxide, aluminum oxide, titanium, stainless steel, or polymer.

18. A method according to claim 15 comprising forming the thin film on the battery substrate by physical or chemical vapor deposition, oxidation, nitridation or electro-plating.

19. A method according to claim 15 comprising annealing the battery substrate to a temperature that is sufficiently high to eliminate defects in the thin films such that battery capacity increases by 10 to 20% and the charge and discharge current increases by more than 50%.

20. A thin film battery manufacturing method comprising:

(a) annealing a battery substrate to a temperature at which organic materials are burned off the battery substrate to clean the battery substrate, the battery substrate comprising a thickness of less than about 100 microns;

(b) forming a thin film on the annealed battery substrate, the thin films comprising an electrode; and

(c) annealing the thin film by heating the substrate to a temperature from about 150 to about 600°

C., and that is sufficiently high to eliminate defects from the thin film.